My 1964 Saltbush Green EH Holden

...until someone walks up to him and says "I used to own one like that". The next thing he hears is "I wish I still had it."

Lance acquired his current EH because it reminded him of the first EH he owned. He explains it this way: "In 1971 I got my driver's licence and had saved up $900. It was an adventure going to the car yards. My brother Robert and I stumbled across a tiny yard located in Toongabbie in Sydney. The moment I saw the 'Saltbush' green EH wagon I wanted it. I handed over $800 and it was mine".

The wagon had the 'big' 179 engine hooked to a Hydramatic transmission. The first thing Lance did was to throw the obligatory mattress in the back and strap on a set of surf board racks. Over the next couple of years he travelled many miles on surfing safaris and visiting speedways around in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

Eventually the car was traded-in but the memories remained, so in 2005 Lance set out to find another Saltbush green EH, preferably a wagon. "I wanted to have a piece of Holden history sitting in my garage and to remind myself of when I would drive everywhere to go surfing and to all the speedways", he reminisces

Two years later , after almost giving up hope of finding a reasonable example, he found a well kept sedan sitting in a shed on the outskirts of Sydney. Ok, so it was not a wagon, but that was not a deal breaker. It was a 179, automatic and saltbush green. The car had been idle for 25 years so as soon as the EH was in his garage Lance commenced the refurbishment. "I went to a good friend of mine, Frank Tedesco, who is a guru on Holdens", Lance explains.

Over the ensuing months Lance and Frank cleaned the engine bay, replaced all the oils, tuned the engine, fitted new wheels, reset the suspension, gave it a wheel alignment and installed a bigger radiator. The next job on the list was repadding the seats and after that a genuine diamond dot AM push button radio was fitted along with an electric clock. Lance is careful with his EH. "It only sees sunshine", he says. 

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